Hoof Impact and Foot-Off Accelerations in Galloping Thoroughbred Racehorses Trialling Eight Shoe-Surface Combinations.
Authors: Horan, Coburn, Kourdache, Day, Carnall, Brinkley, Harborne, Hammond, Peterson, Millard, Pfau
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Hoof–surface interactions fundamentally shape both the performance and injury risk profile of racing Thoroughbreds, yet the precise biomechanical effects of different shoeing and track combinations remain poorly characterised. Researchers fitted tri-axial accelerometers to the dorsal hoof wall of 13 retired racehorses and recorded over 40,000 strides across eight conditions—four shoe types (aluminium, steel, GluShu composite, and barefoot) on both turf and artificial surfaces—capturing acceleration forces at both hoof impact and foot-off with millisecond precision. Impact accelerations ranged from 22–98 g depending on direction and limb, with turf surfaces consistently generating larger impact forces across forelimbs and hindlimbs (up to double the minimum values in many directions), whilst artificial tracks paradoxically increased foot-off accelerations by approximately 17% in the vertical plane—a finding that suggests distinct shock absorption and energy return properties between surfaces. Barefoot conditions produced the lowest accelerations overall, whereas shoeing type significantly influenced both impact and foot-off loading patterns in nearly all measured axes, indicating that shoe selection modulates force transmission through the hoof capsule in ways that merit consideration for injury prevention and racing performance. These data provide quantifiable evidence that farriers, veterinarians and conditioning teams can use to make more informed decisions about surface selection and shoeing strategies, particularly when managing horses at elevated risk of impact-related injuries.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Barefoot or composite (GluShu) shoeing may reduce peak hoof accelerations compared to steel shoes, potentially lowering injury risk during racing
- •Surface choice matters: turf generates higher impact forces than artificial tracks, which should inform training and racing surface selection for injury prevention
- •Individual gait speed (stride time) has a major influence on hoof loading; monitoring and managing work intensity may help mitigate excessive vibration-related injuries
Key Findings
- •Impact accelerations were significantly larger on turf compared to artificial surfaces across all directions (p ≤ 0.015), with mean accelerations ranging 22–98 g at impact
- •Barefoot hooves experienced the lowest accelerations compared to aluminium, steel, and GluShu shoes across both impact and foot-off phases
- •Shoeing condition influenced all measured accelerations in forelimbs and hindlimbs (p ≤ 0.024), with artificial track surfaces producing 17% higher z-axis accelerations at foot-off
- •Stride time significantly affected all impact and foot-off accelerations (p < 0.001), indicating gait speed modulates hoof loading patterns